Auburn Seminaryhttps://auburnseminary.org
Trouble the waters. Heal the world.Thu, 08 Dec 2016 20:27:04 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.5Why Multi-Faith Leaders Are Joining The Fight To #CLOSErikershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/plGzpJDLQPI/
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 17:14:22 +0000https://auburnseminary.org/?p=13461Multi-faith clergy from across New York City joined organizers and activists in prayer and protest demanding Mayor de Blasio close the Rikers Island Jail.

]]>https://auburnseminary.org/why-multi-faith-leaders-are-joining-the-fight-to-closerikers/See Anti-Muslim Attacks, Say Somethinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/SiU0m2oggi0/
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 21:21:05 +0000https://auburnseminary.org/?p=13441What makes the story in the subway even more disturbing is that there were other passengers on the train and they did nothing to stop the three men’s attack. It is sickening and their inaction makes them as guilty as perpetrators.

In the last few days, my hometown of New York City has been the location of two incidents that involved white men attacking Muslim women wearing hijab.

One case involved a decorated off-duty New York City police officer who had received a medal for heroically saving an elderly man and a baby from a burning building in 2014. Officer Elsokary had dropped off her son to park the car and came back to find a man pushing her son, and who said to the native New Yorker: “ISIS (expletive), I will cut your throat, go back to your country!”

The second occurred on a subway platform as three drunken men repeatedly screamed “Donald Trump” at Yasmin Seweid, an 18-year-old college student and yelled anti-Islam insults at the Egyptian American,who was born in Brooklyn, and tried to forcibly remove her hijab while saying, “Look at the f—ing terrorist.”

These are not isolated incidents. New York City police report that from Nov. 8 through Nov. 27, there have been 34 reported bias crimes, compared to 13 in the same period in 2015. Across the country, almost 900 hate crimes were reported in the first ten days following the election and the numbers is sure to have climbed since then.

What makes the story in the subway even more disturbing is that there were other passengers on the train and they did nothing to stop the three men’s attack. It is sickening and their inaction makes them as guilty as perpetrators.

Anyone who lives in New York City knows the anti-terror tagline: “See Something. Say Something.” Well, these attacks are intended to terrorize their victims and I say to all of us — when we see them, we need to say something.

These men were using intimidation to force Muslim women to conform to their idea of what a “great” America looks like. Those of us who know that America is great because of the freedom to practice our own religion and to fully express who we are in the world must find the best way to work against these anti-American attacks and counter-act against the hate.

Now, my first instinct as a big white guy is to fight these bozos. But my colleague, Esther Meroño Baro, reminded me that that is dangerous advice for most. Better advice on how to confront these kinds of situations without escalating them more is illustrated by the freelance artist and illustrator Maeril. (See her work below)

If we see someone attacking or telling a Muslim or a Jew, or a Sikh or anyone else that they have to change the way they look or pray to live in America, then we say something.

If we see someone bashing a member of the LGBT community for being who they are, then we say something.

If we see someone demeaning or assaulting a woman for any reason, then we say something.

If we see someone abusing an immigrant for not speaking English or attempting to separate them from their family here in America, then we say something.

We are in a time when hate is rising and the very diversity that America was meant to provide a home for is under attack.

Just as in the fight against the kind of terrorism that uses bombs, the terrorizing of Americans by their fellow Americans will only be stopped if all of us work together.

I urge all educators, houses of worship, the YMCA, and in the Boys and Girls Clubs to take this moment seriously and help train for this kind of courageous actions using the comic below. Last year, I visited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center and they talk about not standing-by but standing-up – and, unfortunately, that need has become even more pressing in 2016 America.

Saying something in light of these attacks is scary, but we must gird ourselves to be brave. We must have one another’s back no matter what race, religion or creed. It will take all of us to stem this hateful tide. The time for complacency is over. When we see something, say something.

We call upon our congregations and communities to go beyond talk of loving our neighbor to revolutionary love, living our faith and values by opening our doors and hitting the streets to create sanctuary alongside marginalized communities to stop the violence and seek justice in all that we do. Here’s how we can prepare while the newly elected administration moves in.

Making this public commitment sends a strong message of resistance to the administration that our faith communities will not stand by while our friends, families, and neighbors continue to live in fear as targets of hate crimes, incarceration, and deportation.

Our pledge also sets an example of powerful, values-rooted resistance for people of faith and moral conscience who are struggling to discern the right thing to do in this moment. And most importantly, it is a promise to marginalized communities that we will work alongside those in the struggle to ensure the dignity and human rights of all people.

When you add your name, make sure to mark whether your faith community is interested in playing a role in the Sanctuary Movement so we’ll be able to connect with you to hear what your community needs, and equip you with strategies, stories, trainings, and opportunities to take action.

We’re in a new era of organizing because of the elected administration’s extreme racist, discriminatory, and anti-immigrant policy proposals — but these are deep-set issues our communities have been fighting against for a long time.

Connecting with groups that have experience working within immigrant and marginalized communities, and are led by people in the struggle, is a necessary first step to creating powerful and sustainable local coalitions that can plug into the national movement.

3. Provide space in your homes, houses of worship, and community centers for healing, educating, and organizing.

Depending on what the needs are of our local communities, and what happens after Inauguration Day, Sanctuary may be needed in a variety of contexts.

But immediately, we can create safe spaces anywhere for people to heal, learn, and organize:

-Offer up the literal spaces of our churches and community centers for gatherings, forums, office space, and organizing work. A lot of crucial organizing work happens on a shoestring budget. Any resources we have to support that work can mean the difference between success or failure. One of the easiest and yet most powerful things we can do in this moment is provide childcare for community meetings — childcare is costly and yet vital for the participation of parents at meetings.

Just remember: Opening our spaces to community groups to meet and strategize does not mean we are invited into that space. Unlock the doors, turn on the heat, and move out of the way. There is, of course, times in which we may be invited, but we must wait for those invitations and have upfront conversations with folks about expectations.

-White allies can create sanctuary space within your communities for white people to engage in talking about White Supremacy. Over half of white Americans voted for the President-elect, including a surprising number of white women and college-educated white men. We will need to consider smart outreach and ministry strategies to dismantle deep-rooted racism and xenophobia within our own circles and communities.

-Create and respect the sanctuary spaces of marginalized and underrepresented people. All of those directly impacted by systems of violence and oppression must have their own space to heal and find wholeness within circles of love and support where their life and experience is centered and shared.

4. Set up a rapid response team for immigration raids through Sanctuary In The Streets or the Protection Network.

Sanctuary doesn’t just have to be a specific space or region, it is also a way of being. Communities banding together and looking out for one another can be a powerful way to provide each other with sanctuary.

Pro-immigrant communities and organizations have been setting up loose networks to watch out for each other for as long as they’ve existed. More recently, people have been using and setting up these networks to watch out for and respond to immigration agents ripping people apart from their communities.

Immigrant communities almost always have informal mutual aid networks among themselves. Intentionally listening for them, and finding ways to support them when invited to, is one of the best first ways to become a part of a local rapid response network.

Formalizing these networks in times of duress is part of how the Protection Network in Arizona was born from extreme anti-immigrant hostility, aspiring to provide legal support, trainings, a common defense fund, and a rapid response system.

More recently, the New Sanctuary Movement in Philadelphia has built what they’re calling “Sanctuary in the Streets” which is a formal network of over one thousand people ready to respond in a moment’s notice whenever a raid is reported into their emergency hotline.

Creating sanctuary everywhere isn’t easy, but it becomes easier when we remember a lot of what we need already exists in the love and connection we have for one another. The more we can build on that, the better we’ll all be.

]]>https://auburnseminary.org/4-ways-your-faith-community-can-prepare-for-sanctuary/This Thanksgiving, Tell Your Family and Friends About Standing Rockhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/w8vHbbLv-ZA/
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 22:05:41 +0000http://auburnseminary.org/?p=13409This Thanksgiving weekend, one important way to support the Water Protectors is by acknowledging the history of the treatment of Native Peoples and considering how we can together write a new story for our country’s future – one where the sovereignty and dignity of Indigenous Peoples is respected.

The continued violent repression the Water Protectors face today is part of an ongoing history of oppression and genocide of Indigenous People that must end with us, through the rejection of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

This Thanksgiving weekend, one important way to support the Water Protectors is by acknowledging the history of the treatment of Native Peoples and considering how we can together write a new story for our country’s future – one where the sovereignty and dignity of Indigenous Peoples is respected.

NEW YORK — Yesterday Auburn Seminary awarded Simran Jeet Singh, activist and Assistant Professor of Religion at Trinity University, its prestigious Walter Wink Scholar-Activist Award for 2016. The award serves to recognize exceptional faith leaders who have dedicated their lives to advocating social justice activism.

“We are tremendously proud to honor Dr. Simran Jeet Singh with Auburn’s ‘Walter Wink Award for Scholar Activism’ at the American Academy of Religion gathering,” said Auburn’s president, Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson. “As a powerful public theologian, a beloved teacher, and a faith-rooted activist, Dr. Singh embodies the best of the values of his Sikh faith: seva, sacred service; vismaad, a sense of awe, wonder and hope that sustains us in our work on behalf of others; and chardi kala, resilience even in the face of suffering. We feel that he has been called for such a time as this.”

Singh is a Sikh scholar who has contributed over 50 opinion articles to outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian. He routinely speaks out publicly about diversity, inclusion, civil rights, religion and hate violence.

“We tend to think of public engagement as tedium, as small victories with little impact, and part of what I’ve learned is there can be a real snowball effect. You never know what part of your work can open up major opportunities and affect meaningful change for society,” said Singh. “As a community, we believe it is wrong to target anybody, Muslims or anyone else, simply because of how they look or what they believe. The Sikh community has responded to Islamophobia by committing to protect the dignity of all people and to fighting the problem of discrimination at its core.”

Given annually at the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Meetings, The Walter Wink Scholar-Activist Award recognizes courageous individuals who dedicate their lives to advocating for justice and peace in our world.

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Auburn Seminary identifies and strengthens leaders — from the pulpit to the public square — to build communities, bridge divides, pursue justice and heal the world.

]]>https://auburnseminary.org/simran-jeet-singh-wins-auburn-seminarys-walter-wink-scholar-activist-award/Standing Rock Water Protectors Are Fighting For Your Futurehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/tY4x4WbLW-M/
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 19:06:48 +0000http://auburnseminary.org/?p=13373As you gather with your families this weekend, don’t forget the historical significance of Thanksgiving, and the displaced indigenous peoples, my people, who continue to fight at Standing Rock for your future – it is the moral obligation of communities of faith and conscience to stand with us.

Hau, Mitakuyapi. The Rev. Deacon Brandon Mauai Emačiyapi. Hello, my name is Brandon L. Mauai, a deacon with the Standing Rock Episcopal Community in North Dakota, and an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

In the last few months there have been thousands who have traveled here from around the world to faithfully and prayerfully resist the Dakota Access Pipeline – including over 500 clergy – the very pipeline which threatens the health of our communities and the future of the Earth. These gatherings have been peaceful, prayerful, and in solidarity with my people of Standing Rock Nation.

On Sunday night, our peaceful protest was met with an escalation of police violence: Water cannons were used to blast Water Protectors in 25-degree temperatures, and we were sprayed with rubber bullets, stinger grenades, and tear gas. Hundreds were injured Sunday night, and this continues on. Contrary to the local sheriff’s statement, that the police are using “less than lethal” forms of weapons, they are life threatening.

President Obama broke his silence on what is happening at Standing Rock only to say he would let it “play out for several weeks” – but winter is here in North Dakota, and we cannot afford to wait. In 2014, President Obama visited Standing Rock and made a commitment to do everything he can to support the children and youth on the reservation. We’re asking President Obama to follow through on his commitment by putting pressure on the Army Corps to deny the pipeline permit, and asking the Dept. of Justice to start an investigation into the excessive use of force against peaceful protectors.

This is about our water and our human rights. It’s also about our climate and the future of our global community. I was at the Paris Climate talks last year and know firsthand how important it is to reduce the use of fossil fuels, work towards significant carbon reduction, and increase the use of renewable energy.

As you gather with your families this weekend, don’t forget the historical significance of Thanksgiving, and the displaced indigenous peoples, my people, who continue to fight at Standing Rock for your future – it is the moral obligation of communities of faith and conscience to stand with us.

The Rev. Deacon Brandon L. Mauai is a deacon with the Standing Rock Episcopal Community in North Dakota, and an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

]]>https://auburnseminary.org/standing-rock-water-protectors-are-fighting-for-your-future/Breaking Silence on Abortion and Faithhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/8lL4W2Alod0/
Fri, 18 Nov 2016 17:30:38 +0000http://auburnseminary.org/?p=13323Thank God for clergy like Chorley and Butler who have chosen to open up much needed conversations that can bring all of us closer to each other and to God.

Women have abortions. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women in America will have an abortion in her lifetime. These numbers cut across race, class, marital status, and yes, religion. According to the Guttmacher Institute 17 percent of abortion patients in 2014 identified as mainline Protestant, 13 percent as evangelical Protestant and 24 percent as Catholic. This means that in our congregations (conservative and progressive) chances are good that you will have passed the peace, served on a committee, or greeted at social hour a woman who had an abortion.

Yet women rarely feel they can tell their abortion stories in their congregations. Even in progressive congregations it is rare that women’s actual experiences with abortion are discussed. Rather, silence or repudiation tend to be the order of the day and many women, as a consequence, are left without a faith community during and after such a significant and personal decision. This silence is not only bad for the women who have had or are considering having abortions but it is tragic for our faith traditions because it sends the message that the most personal decisions in our lives are not speakable in God’s house.

This silencing of women’s experiences promises to only get worse if the threats made by Donald Trump to restrict abortion access through a combination of legislative action, executive orders, and the appointment of an anti-choice Supreme Court judges materialize.

It is in times like these that we need the kind of moral courage shown by two prominent Baptist clergy who chose to go public about their abortions after a decade plus of silence.

At a time when her marriage was in trouble and her finances were stretched, Rev. Susan Chorley made the difficult decision to have an abortion while serving a congregation in Massachusetts. Now twelve years later, as a board member for the pro-voice group, Exhale, she has decided the time was right to come out about her decision in order to encourage a different kind of conversation about abortion in our faith communities. “I want communities of faith to be places that embrace each person’s full humanity” she writes in a powerful essay published in the Daily Beast. “Faith is so much more than judging right from wrong,” she continues, “faith is about how we make meaning in our lives, how we understand our God, and how we live our values.” Following the publication of this article, Chorley has been on a national sermon tour to help break the silence about abortion.

A couple weeks after Rev. Chorley’s piece came out, the senior pastor at Riverside Church, Rev. Amy Butler, responded to the third presidential debate, where Donald Trump characterized late term abortions as “ripping babies from their mothers’ wombs,” with her heartrending decision to have a late term abortion. Butler’s pregnancy was planned and anticipated with joy. Yet, during a gynecological visit she learned that her baby would likely die at birth and her own health was at risk if she continued with the pregnancy. She reflects on the painful decision to have an abortion in a moving piece published in USA Today. The piece struck a chord with many, many women.

Women wrote to her such things as: “I thought I would be kicked out of my church and cut off from my family if I told.” “I’ve never told anyone, but I had a child who died.” “I had to make a similar decision but I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it.” “I have felt ashamed for more than 30 years.”

Before Donald Trump was elected it was a frightening calculus to come out about having an abortion in our religious communities, particularly as a religious leaders. Post this election, the ability for us to talk openly and honestly in our faith communities about our intimate decisions is going to become even more frightening. Yet as Audre Lorde taught us, our silence will not protect us.

Thank God for clergy like Chorley and Butler who have chosen to open up much needed conversations that can bring all of us closer to each other and to God. If faith is going to be relevant in our lives, we must bring our full selves with our complex stories into our places of worship. By bravely telling their own experiences with abortion, these two Baptist pastors are opening the doors of faith to many who did not feel it could hold their stories. They have in the process made worship more relevant, more vital, and more real. Let us hope their bravery can be a counterbalance to the dehumanizing rhetoric we are hearing in the political landscape.

]]>https://auburnseminary.org/breaking-silence-on-abortion-and-faith/What do we do now? Join the front lines.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/WHeeyjRZf5Q/
Fri, 18 Nov 2016 05:44:46 +0000http://auburnseminary.org/?p=13314We’re building a rapid-response community to flood Congress with phone calls to stand for love and justice in the face of dangerous policies on the horizon.

More than 400 incidents of hate and bias have swept America in the name of President-Elect Trump. Soon his administration will consider proposals that threaten the dignity, safety, and civil rights of millions of families, including mine.

It’s no longer enough to vent on Facebook or love our neighbor while keeping to ourselves. We are called to become political.

Trump has captured the White House, but Congress still has the power to check and halt his most dangerous proposals. And members of Congress – Republican and Democrat – must be responsive to the will of the people.

So how do we do it?

During my brief time working in the Senate, I witnessed first-hand how constituents can make a difference: More than tweets and form letters, flooding congressional offices with phone calls brings work-as-usual to a halt. Our voices cause staffers to pay attention; our stories can change the minds of representatives — and embolden them to take a stand.

When you sign up, we will send you an invitation to join our upcoming strategy call.

We are poised to do this. This fall, the Revolutionary Love Project seeded 100 dialogues and film screenings on campuses and communities on how to combat hate with love. We spread the message on a national tour reaching 20,000 people. Then we harnessed this energy in a Get Out the Vote campaign with our partners. Together, we made 45,500 calls to American Muslim households in the state of Florida. Each phone call was not just a means to an end, but an end in itself — a way to fight hate, voter intimidation, and turn love into action.

Here’s what I ask: Don’t give up on America. Because if you give up, then millions of us who are targeted by the proposals that this administration will consider and enact will be left without our greatest defense – you.

We have the power to speak up and stand up to cruelty, bigotry, and hatred in our communities and at our kitchen tables. We can buy media subscriptions to keep robust and responsible journalism alive. We can donate to the advocacy organizations on the front lines. And we can commit to spending a little time each week to calling Congress – as part of a team of committed citizens.

You might still feel afraid and uncertain: The future is dark.

But what if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb — but of the womb? What if the America we love is not dead but a nation still waiting to be born? What if this painful moment of contraction calls forth strength we did not know we had?

This week, Sikh Americans commemorate Gurpurab, the birth of Guru Nanak the founder of our faith. He called us to a life of “Chardi Kala” — relentless optimism even within darkness, revolutionary love even in the face of hatred.I gave this Sikh prayer after Election Day — may it offer a moment of solace and inspire you to join us today.

]]>https://auburnseminary.org/not-enough-vent-facebook-join-front-lines/Simran Jeet Singh: Activism Not By Choice, But By Necessityhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/pusKPs7-bYU/
Thu, 17 Nov 2016 20:08:06 +0000http://auburnseminary.org/?p=13283"You never know what part of your work can open up major opportunities and affect meaningful change for society"

Running in his fifth New York City marathon last week, Sikh activist and religion scholar Simran Jeet Singh had the joy of seeing his adopted city at street level, through all five boroughs. Yet the experience was marred by unfortunate racist incidents. At one volunteer rest station, a woman refused to serve him water, calling him a “dirty Muslim.” At another point, a bystander yelled to the runners in front of him that they better run faster because “a guy from ISIS is chasing you.”

Little did they know that for Singh, working against such prejudice and hate is the marathon of his life. Auburn Seminary is very proud to award Dr. Singh the Walter Wink Scholar Activist-Award for 2016. I caught up with him to find out about the origins of his commitment to such activist work, not the common hallmark for a specialist in early modern religions of South Asia. When I asked about his vocation between the academy and the streets, as a scholar and activist, he said:

SJS: “For me, the story really begins with my parents. They immigrated to the US from Punjab, India, and moved to Texas. I was born and raised in San Antonio with three other brothers – four of us in total – and we were the only turban-wearing Sikh kids in the region. So through the formative years of our childhood, we became ambassadors for Sikhism. Part of it was obligation, answering questions people had of us. But part of it was the modeling my parents gave me.”

“There was a moment in elementary school, we went to my older brother’s 5th grade graduation party at a local rollerskating rink, and the manager at the rink wouldn’t allow us to skate with our turbans. You either remove your turban, your religious identity, or you leave the establishment. That was a tough moment for my mom . . . She could have walked out and said we’re not doing this, or she could have said take off turban and be part of the festivities, but instead she organized all the parents and teachers who were there, she told them what was happening, and they all walked out together as a statement of solidarity. That way of working, where it’s not just about you but about something bigger — an opportunity for creating stakeholders, creating a community around you who care about justice – that was really powerful for me.”

“Another part of that story that sticks with me: When I saw my mom crying during this situation, I started crying. It was the first time I saw my mom cry. I started crying and my mom asked me why, and I said, ‘because its not fair, they should let us stay, the same reason you are crying. She responded with something I did not expect. She explained that actually I’m crying because of a happy reason, because of how great our community is, that they are willing to take a stand for us.”

Such situations taught him what it means to engage in justice work, alongside allies, at a local level, but also in working for systemic change. I asked Singh how it was that he became a scholar, and how the career as a professor fit with his advocacy and justice work. He recounted a letter from his grandfather in India giving a very high value to education, undoubtably influencing his father to come to the US for a PhD in the early 1980s. As a college student in the post-September 11th 2001 era, Singh felt the aftershocks of violence, hate crimes, and a constant challenge to defend his faith identity. Yet studying religion in college caused an important shift in perspective. He told me:

“In college I learned to deal with the world in a ways I never had before, recognizing that even though I had always considered myself tolerant, I felt my own views to be right, and others wrong. I began to question my own understanding of how to authentically accept others, and their difference, what you might call pluralist rather than tolerant.”

“At that point, I had a choice—to pursue academic work, as I had become very interested in religious literature, or to do nonprofit justice work. I decided to continue studying at Harvard Divinity School thinking it would be helpful in either direction. I went to study with Diana Eck [Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, and head of the Pluralism Project]. She modeled for me how being in an academic position could allow for one to create an incredible degree of impact publicly. Working with her was a profound experience.”

While Singh continues to write and publish in his scholarly area, focusing on the early modern era when the Sikh faith emerged in Northern India, and to publicly write and speak about racial profiling, Isamophobia, and Xenophobia. A turning point was the 2012 Oak Creek, WI massacre at a Sikh temple there. A white supremacist shot and killed six, wounding four others. Singh said:

“Religion writer and editor Paul Raushenbush reached out and said, ‘You need to write about this, your community needs you.’ In our tradition, we don’t have clergy, we don’t have someone who necessarily has a public voice, a structure for having such a voice. I stepped forward as an activist and a community member and a scholar of Sikh and other South Asian religions. For me, this was a turning point in that I realized how critical it was for my community that I engage publicly. I felt an incredible responsibility to represent those who have been traditionally underrepresented, so I made a commitment to help give these communities a voice.”

I asked about his support for this public scholarship from academic institutions, and he was very positive.

“The level of support I receive from my institutions, Trinity University, Columbia University, and from my mentors, has been very strong. I often receive threats, physical threats, and on multiple occasions people have called the President’s office asking that I be fired. The only type of guidance I have received from them is to keep up the good work, and to continue my scholarship, as well, so that I can have a strong tenure case”

Wondering about his work with the Sikh Coalition, where he serves as Senior Religion Fellow, I asked about perhaps the most high profile public work he’s done to date: a powerful segment on The Daily Show working with Senior Correspondent Hasan Minhaj. Singh said:

“We tend to think of public engagement as tedium, as small victories with little impact, and part of what I’ve learned is there can be a real snowball effect. You never know what part of your work can open up major opportunities and affect meaningful change for society.”

Minhaj invited the Sikh Coalition’s youth program to his performance of Homecoming King on Broadway, and he engaged them in conversation about bullying and discrimination. Then, after the Sikh Coalition supported Sikh American actor Waris Ahluwalia who was not allowed on a flight for refusing to remove his turban (not standard security practice), Minhaj (who is Muslim) reached out to do an episode on Islamophobia and Sikh solidarity with Muslims. The episode highlighted the fact that since 9/11 Sikhs have been profiled as terror threats alongside Muslims. Singh said:

“As a community, we believe it is wrong to target anybody, Muslims or anyone else, simply because of how they look or what they believe. The Sikh community has responded to Islamophobia by committing to protect the dignity of all people and to fighting the problem of discrimination at its core. The episode, one of the most popular of the whole year, was a double victory. For the first time, we told many Americans about our religion, and it also displayed our values of love, service, and justice, which humanizes us and Muslims as well.”

Rev. Christian Scharen, Ph.D. isVice President of Applied Research and The Center for the Study of Theological Education at Auburn Seminary.

]]>https://auburnseminary.org/simran-jeet-singh-activism-not-choice-necessity/Clergy Demand Mayor Bill de Blasio #CLOSErikershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AuburnFeed/~3/kvQvOZor7WE/
Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:53:55 +0000http://auburnseminary.org/?p=13280As people of faith, it is our moral responsibility to stand for the marginalized, to care for the poor, to have compassion for the children of God who are behind bars, whose lives are shattered, and who live in danger every day.

It is critical that we put those on the margins at the center of our activism.

Kalief Browder was a 16-year-old sent to Rikers Island Jail in May 2010 for allegedly stealing a backpack – his family could not afford the $10,000 bail. He spent nearly three years awaiting trial with no conviction, two of them in solitary confinement, fighting for his life in a place notorious for rampant violence by inmates and correction officers alike.

Rikers is a place dangerous to the flesh, a place where surviving turns you inside out and erodes your soul. In the new Bill Moyers documentary, RIKERS, former detainee Ralph Nuñez says, “It’s gladiator school for real. If you get there and you don’t have a weapon to defend yourself, you have an issue.”

As people of faith, it is our moral responsibility to stand for the marginalized, to care for the poor, to have compassion for the children of God who are behind bars, whose lives are shattered, and who live in danger every day.

New York City has a history of failed reforms for Rikers. Though Governor Cuomo and City Council President Melissa Mark-Viverito have both called for Rikers to be closed, Mayor de Blasio has said it would be too complicated and too expensive to do so.

Locking up just one person at Rikers costs $208,500 a year. Imagine those funds redirected to more just systems and centers in the five boroughs. And as we think about comprehensive solutions, we must create bail reform, “speedy trial” reform and alternatives to incarceration.

Watch the RIKERS documentary below, and add your name to our petition before delivery on December 4. I’ll be delivering your name to the Mayor at a prayer vigil surrounding his Gracie Mansion home that day with other clergy and concerned citizens – join us in New York City.

Kalief’s tragic story is not unique. Over 70,000 New Yorkers cycle through Rikers every year, most of them poor people of color, many of them young, struggling with mental health issues, substance use, and housing instability.